PoliticsWhy Russia released an American prisoner; how a viral attack is rattling Ohio’s race

U.S. envoy Steve Witkoff called Russian President Vladimir Putin a “humanitarian” on Wednesday, following Russia’s release of a retired American teacher held since 2022. John Herbst, a former U.S. ambassador to Ukraine and senior director of the Atlantic Council’s Eurasia Center, assesses whether the release was a genuine gesture of goodwill and how warmer U.S.-Russia ties could affect the war in Ukraine. The program also examines increasingly personal attacks in Ohio’s governor’s race.